iPhone or Samsung?

IamtheWalrus

I want to buy a smart phone and am considering getting an iPhone. I don’t like the idea of getting into an 18 month or 2 year contract because I may not be in the country for that entire time (work).

I had a look at the iPhone 4 S White 64MB to buy and it’s under £700. It’s alot of money but I was thinking that if I buy that version, then I’ll never need to keep replacing my iPod (they usually last 1 year in my experience) or have to carry it with me anywhere.

Have any of you done this? Is the phone a good replacement for the iPod?

I’ve also had a look at the Samsung GALAXY S II @ 450.

Can anyone advise me on what to buy?

TBi

iPhone is a perfect iPod replacement. You'll be carrying it everywhere anyway and it works with most iPod docks. If that's what you want get that.

I don't like android so i'd never touch a phone with it.

Try a Nokia Lumia 800 as an alternative?

srsly78

Get the Galaxy 2. No iTunes rubbish to deal with.

IamtheWalrus

srsly78 wrote: »

Get the Galaxy 2. No iTunes rubbish to deal with.

What rubbish is that? I do listen to a lot of podcasts.

srsly78

With Android you are not restricted to using apple-only services. You can use whatever you want to play music or organise your library, or listen to podcasts.

Galaxy 2 is a top-end android phone, you will not be disappointed. As always there are better ones about to be released tho!

IamtheWalrus

srsly78 wrote: »

As always there are better ones about to be released tho!

When?

theteal

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

I want to buy a smart phone and am considering getting an iPhone. I don’t like the idea of getting into an 18 month or 2 year contract because I may not be in the country for that entire time (work).

I had a look at the iPhone 4 S White 64MB to buy and it’s under £700. It’s alot of money but I was thinking that if I buy that version, then I’ll never need to keep replacing my iPod (they usually last 1 year in my experience) or have to carry it with me anywhere.

Have any of you done this? Is the phone a good replacement for the iPod?

I’ve also had a look at the Samsung GALAXY S II @ 450.

Can anyone advise me on what to buy?

you've been buying a new ipod/mp3 every year? phones have been able to combine this function quite easily for the last ~7 years or so, i've not had a separate mp3 player since the release of the SE W800

since you have itunes, it may simpler for you to go with an iphone as it should all link up without too much fuss. personally, i'm not an itunes fan (to put it mildly), i prefer just to have all my music in an ever expanding windows folder that can simply be dragged to a new device whenever i upgrade

Improbable

I have the Galaxy S2 while my better half has the iPhone 4S, so I've messed about on both. Personally, I like the Galaxy S2 much better. With a decent ROM, you get much better battery life with the S2 than with the 4S. I prefer being able to drag and drop music and movies directly onto the phone via usb or over wifi. The phone natively plays every single format of video I've been able to throw at it. The screen is bigger on the S2 at 4.3 inches versus the 3.5 inches of the 4S. It's also thinner. The S2 is also slightly better in terms of processing power. Installing custom ROM's on the S2 is a piece of cake and there are some truly great ones out there.

theteal

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

When?

the htc one range arrival is imminent. samsung GSIII is not far off either

BostonB

theteal wrote: »

you've been buying a new ipod/mp3 every year? phones have been able to combine this function quite easily for the last ~7 years or so, i've not had a separate mp3 player since the release of the SE W800...

I'd add here that the SQ (sound quality) on iPods and iPhone wasn't a patch on a decent MP3 player until the iPhone 3GS/4 and the iPod Touch 2. Not everyone will be bothered by that however.

PhantomShrimp

I had an iPhone 1st Gen for four years and recently had the same conundrum you have. I also have a Samsung Galaxy tab.

Long story short, I tried the Lumia directly after the iPhone but switched pretty quickly. I weighed up the SII and the iPhone 4S (taking into consideration that the SIII would be out soon.) The SII was simply too big! I already have a tablet and, for me personally, the iPhone is the perfect size for a phone and is the perfect sub for the iPod.

Regarding movies, I have an app that will play anything I've thrown on the phone.

Another few points:
The apps are cheaper in iTunes.
You are used to iTunes and the iPod, the iPhone behaves the same way.
You can sync the iPhone 4S wirelessly as well.
Personally for me, it handles my Gmail accounts perfectly. This is the same on the SII but the Lumia fails here.

These are my own personal experiences and I am not slamming anyone else on here. I'm just happier with the iPhone 4S. Simple.

PS

srsly78

Cheaper apps you say? Cheaper than free?

PhantomShrimp

srsly78 wrote: »

Cheaper apps you say? Cheaper than free?

For those who don't like adverts blocking some of the game? sure. Just thinking about Ninjump and the ad bar that runs across the top of the screen, I know they are different for every app.

Let me rephrase that as the above is a very valid point.

If you are someone who likes to pay for ad-free apps, then iTunes is cheaper. If you don't mind the ads then of course they are free from the Android market. There are a few games that only give you a level or two for free, eg Radiant, & that Dragon Tiny Wings copy, and then you have to pay to unlock the other levels.

But srsly78 is spot on and thanks for pointing that out. Eeeep.

PS

FearDark

TBi wrote: »

iPhone is a perfect iPod replacement. You'll be carrying it everywhere anyway and it works with most iPod docks. If that's what you want get that.

I don't like android so i'd never touch a phone with it.

Try a Nokia Lumia 800 as an alternative?

Worst advice ever.

Android is great.

The iPhone is 250 more than the Galaxy S2

The Nokia Lumia is a piece of dog shít.

FearDark

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

What rubbish is that? I do listen to a lot of podcasts.

Podcasts work with S2. As do every format of video/audio you can throw at it. It uses drag and drop not the iTunes rubbish.

plys

PhantomShrimp wrote: »

The apps are cheaper in iTunes.
PS

srsly78 wrote: »

Cheaper apps you say? Cheaper than free?

:pac::pac:

I've been on Android for about 2 years now, and in total I have spent less than 5 euro on apps, and I have everything I need...

No contest IMO

FearDark

plys wrote: »

:pac::pac:

I've been on Android for about 2 years now, and in total I have spent less than 5 euro on apps, and I have everything I need...

No contest IMO

For instance the FREE sat nav on the S2 is absolutely amazing. You have to pay a lot of money on the iPhone for something similar...

srsly78

If ads really piss you off then you can root android phone + install adblock. Alternatively you can buy the app, the cost is pretty much the same as on the iphone.

PhantomShrimp

plys wrote: »

:pac::pac:

I've been on Android for about 2 years now, and in total I have spent less than 5 euro on apps, and I have everything I need...

No contest IMO

FearDark wrote: »

For instance the FREE sat nav on the S2 is absolutely amazing. You have to pay a lot of money on the iPhone for something similar...

I did correct myself.

Thinking back I don't think I've spent more than ~€10 in the iTunes store over the past four years

But I was wrong, and admit to that.

PS

PhantomShrimp

srsly78 wrote: »

If ads really piss you off then you can root android phone + install adblock. Alternatively you can buy the app, the cost is pretty much the same as on the iphone.

Does that work for the tablet as well? Unfortunately I only have the 10.1V and am not technically proficient enough to root the tablet. I looked at XDA and got lost fairly quickly.

srsly78

Yes. Blocking the ads is pretty much the same as pirating the app FYI - both deprive the developer of income.

jonnny68

No contest the Samsung Galaxy S2 remains the best smartphone ever released to date and i include the Galaxy Nexus in that as well, the reason iPhones are so popular is that everything works out of the box and that suits many people who haven't really the foggiest idea about technology in general and just want something that works, that is fine but lets not be fooled here the iPhone cannot compare to the SGSII in any shape or form plus you can only basically do what Apple allow you to do,the SGSII is bigger, faster and you can do so much much more, it has won multiple awards on various respected technology websites and has sold something like 23+ million worldwide and is still selling well almost a year after it was first released, as someone already mentioned especially if you have a custom ROM on your phone the possibilities are endless, my SGSII has never failed me once and it's amongst the best purchases ive ever made.

Squ

You dont really seem too into one or the other, so i'd go for the iphone, as itunes obviously doesnt bother you.

I've been using both for nearly a year, They're both great phones (i've a 4s and my wife has the sgII)

jonnny68

Basically if your not interested in technology or tweaking or customizing your phone like you can do with an Android phone the iPhone is the one you want,everything works out of the box, everyones phone looks pretty much the same, i couldn't be dealing being locked down to whatever Apple only allow like iTunes,etc but many people don't care about anything like that hence the popularity of iPhones although overall Android has overtaken then worldwide.

End of the day whatever you are into yourself

Eoin

srsly78 wrote: »

Get the Galaxy 2. No iTunes rubbish to deal with.

My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S2, and I have a Samsung Tab. I much prefer using iTunes with my iPhone. It might be bloaty, and apparently made by the devil etc, but it just seems to be a lot more robust. Though strangely, I did find that Windows Media player worked best with the tab (better than using windows explorer). I don't even want to talk about Kies, which is hands-down the worst piece of software I've used in a while.

Between the iPhone and the S2 - there doesn't really seem to be that much between them in real life from what I've seen so far. Most the benefits of Android over iPhone that are listed tend to be non-issues or just irrelevant for me.

I had a look at the iPhone 4 S White 64MB to buy and it’s under £700. It’s alot of money but I was thinking that if I buy that version, then I’ll never need to keep replacing my iPod (they usually last 1 year in my experience) or have to carry it with me anywhere.

I'd do the sums if I were you, that's a huge amount of money to pay for a phone.

My iPods have lasted years and years, albeit with light-ish use. If you're just getting a year, are you sure your phone will last too?

JPA

People are scared stiff of going on a contract but in the long run you would save so much if you did OP.

Crazy sums to be talking about for a phone when you can get them free or for a less than €100 with a bill.

IamtheWalrus

With the possibility of me being out of the country for work for times of the year, and the fact I use about £15 per month on phone use, and the fact I'm sick of my iPod breaking down (the 6 month one I have is already on the blink), I've bought a £699 64MB iPhone.

Obviously a ridiculous amount of money but hopefully it'll do me for a long time. I'm really not into messing with my phone. I'd prefer to use it out of the box so I think the iPhone is the best choice.

Thanks for all your input.

TBi

JPA wrote: »

People are scared stiff of going on a contract but in the long run you would save so much if you did OP.

Crazy sums to be talking about for a phone when you can get them free or for a less than €100 with a bill.

Depends on your usage. In my case going on bill would cost me the same if not more than what i'm paying now over the 24 months, and i've included the cost of the iPhone in my calculations.

Instead of a locked phone i get a fully unlocked phone with a direct-to-apple warranty (i've had friends with warranty issues with contract phones and they had to go to small claims court to get satisfaction). I can also upgrade whenever i like, move network whenever i like and am not tied to paying for usage when i'm out of the country (and using a local sim card to save money).

E.G. sim only bill pay on meteor is €20 euro per month, the same deal with an iphone is 45 per month. That's €25 extra over 24 months + €50 upfront which is €650... more than the price of the phone itself. It is a false economy.

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

With the possibility of me being out of the country for work for times of the year, and the fact I use about £15 per month on phone use, and the fact I'm sick of my iPod breaking down (the 6 month one I have is already on the blink), I've bought a £699 64MB iPhone.

Obviously a ridiculous amount of money but hopefully it'll do me for a long time. I'm really not into messing with my phone. I'd prefer to use it out of the box so I think the iPhone is the best choice.

Thanks for all your input.

I am curious as to why you stuck with Apple when all their products broke down on you?

IamtheWalrus

TBi wrote: »

I am curious as to why you stuck with Apple when all their products broke down on you?

Because I've had good reviews from iPhone users who have used other phones. They've told me they prefer the iPhone.

I think I'd like to try the iPhone once to make up my own mind. If it turns out to be crap, then I'll know to avoid for the rest of my days. It is very expensive agreed but it'll save me the bother of using my iPod.

Because of my lack of phone use, I had a look at the cheapest monthly rate and it was about £30. I would then have to to pay a good bit for the handset so I figured buying outright was best. Time will tell if I've made the right choice but there's only one way to find out.

frogcheese

Iphone is easier to use.

vader65

Samsung galaxy is an unbelievable phone which doesnt scratch!!

srsly78

Yes but the Galaxy 2 is a lot better, don't confuse op

Squ

I'm curious about the "can use the iphone straight out of the box" advice seen a few times on this tread.

As i said my wife git a sgII and being technogically deficient, i popped in her sim and sd, turned it on, entered location, email, etc.. Very similar to the iphone.

How would people see the iphone as easier to use "out of the box" than the sgII

srsly78

Because they have never tried using anything else and are just spouting the usual "iphone is best" nonsense.

Squ

srsly78 wrote: »

Because they have never tried using anything else and are just spouting the usual "iphone is best" nonsense.

I couldn't care which is best, but would just like to know what is easier about setting up an iphone than a sgII?


As i said, i've set up both and hardly noticed a difference

srsly78

You are right, there isn't much difference.

Android does come with many advanced features you can use, but these are completely optional. Maybe this is where they get confused?

Squ

srsly78 wrote: »

You are right, there isn't much difference.

Android does come with many advanced features you can use, but these are completely optional. Maybe this is where they get confused?

I re-read the tread and it's only johnny who said it was easier out of the box a couple of times..

Apologies.

lougholad

whens the the galaxy s111 released

Toasterspark

I'm pondering over a new phone too, and the size of the phone is important to me. The iPhone 4s is a nice sized phone, and the camera seems to be better than the competition.

It's a lot of money for a phone though. Damn you expensive smartphones!!

srsly78

At first the sgs2 seems massive. But once you get used to it you will think the iphone was designed for midgets.

Does the sgs2 fit easily in pocket? Yes. Thus it is not too large. It's much easier to use a touchscreen device with larger screen.

donalg1

I had a HTC and an iPhone at one stage so am pretty familiar with both formats android and iPhone and I definitely prefer the Android. Its far more customisable and can do a lot more, and you dont need apple everything to get the most out of it.

A friend of mine has travels by bus to work everyday and it takes about an hour and every evening he drops an episode of the wire onto his Samsung and watches that while on the bus. To do something like that on an iPhone would be far harder and would take much longer than the few seconds it takes him afaik. Maybe I am wrong though

porsche boy

I have had both and the simplest way to look at this is that the Samsung shows up on your computer as an external hard drive. you can click into it, drag and drop pics, music, MP4 etc. iPhone has to connect & 'sync' for a bit depending on your processor capabilities can be a few mins. Also, I'm not sure on the iPhone (as mine broke incredibly quickly) but the Samsung o/s is constantly being updated so even the older S1 model can be updated with the same o/s as the newer phones. Extended batteries are available also which is a real benefit if you play alot of music & vids.
Both have big icons you press to use app's both are a phone, MP3/4 player, camera etc.

Everyone will have their own opinion depending on what they want & need form a phone but one word of caution, don't listen to people that say iPhones are the best unless they can quantify the claim. These people are commonly known as iTards due to their blinkered belief that because it's an Apple product it's automatically better.

hope this helps.

Eoin

porsche boy wrote: »

Everyone will have their own opinion depending on what they want & need form a phone but one word of caution, don't listen to people that say iPhones are the best unless they can quantify the claim. These people are commonly known as iTards due to their blinkered belief that because it's an Apple product it's automatically better.

I've found the reverse to be equally true.

porsche boy

Eoin wrote: »

I've found the reverse to be equally true.

Everyone has an opinion that is true, I hope though in my proceeding paragraph I quantified and explained why I believe the Samsung to be the better product, for what I want and need.

I could have just jumped on and said 'Samsung is better, full stop!!!!!!111one':D

knowit12

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

I want to buy a smart phone and am considering getting an iPhone. I don’t like the idea of getting into an 18 month or 2 year contract because I may not be in the country for that entire time (work).

I had a look at the iPhone 4 S White 64MB to buy and it’s under £700. It’s alot of money but I was thinking that if I buy that version, then I’ll never need to keep replacing my iPod (they usually last 1 year in my experience) or have to carry it with me anywhere.

Have any of you done this? Is the phone a good replacement for the iPod?

I’ve also had a look at the Samsung GALAXY S II @ 450.

Can anyone advise me on what to buy?

Depends on how much music you have on your ipod. I only download songs that I'm actually going to listen to. Therefore the iphone suits me. If you have a lot of songs I wouldn't try replace your ipod with an iphone, simply reason that the iphone uses up a lot more memory then an ipod, apps,msgs,pictures,emails, etc.

I wouldn't go with that contract crap either - your left paying for a phone for 2 years (not good) try save and buy the iphone up front, means then you can sell it on when you wish, and the iphones are extermally easy to sell cause there is a high demand for them and they don't really lose their value.

Iphone all the way

Ps. Iphone 5 is rumoured to be released in Aug/sept of this year.

listermint

Hi OP,


Opinions are opinions, absolutely meaningless because they arent your own.

What i would recommend however is going into a shop / playing around with a friends phone for about 20 minutes.

Send some messages try to make a call, play some music


Then make your decision. Forget all the rubbish in this thread.

I own an Ipod touch for my car music and have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus for my phone. Love Android but thats my opinion....

winston82

I'm completely un-biased here. You should get the iPhone.


Sent from iPhone 4 16gb

BostonB

I have an experia droid and a iPod touch. While theres things I like better on the Android 2.3.4 mainly the lack of restrictions, and the FM radio. I do think IOS works a little bit slicker, as do the apps. Much more of the android apps are a little bit clunkier. Things like predictive text I find better on the IOS. But whats better for me, might not be the best phone for someone else. So each to their own.

listermint

BostonB wrote: »

I have an experia droid and a iPod touch. While theres things I like better on the Android 2.3.4 mainly the lack of restrictions, and the FM radio. I do think IOS works a little bit slicker, as do the apps. Much more of the android apps are a little bit clunkier. Things like predictive text I find better on the IOS. But whats better for me, might not be the best phone for someone else. So each to their own.

Your using an experia, awful awful comparison.....


did i say awful...

jonnny68

jonnny68 wrote: »

No contest the Samsung Galaxy S2 remains the best smartphone ever released to date and i include the Galaxy Nexus in that as well, the reason iPhones are so popular is that everything works out of the box and that suits many people who haven't really the foggiest idea about technology in general and just want something that works, that is fine but lets not be fooled here the iPhone cannot compare to the SGSII in any shape or form plus you can only basically do what Apple allow you to do,the SGSII is bigger, faster and you can do so much much more, it has won multiple awards on various respected technology websites and has sold something like 23+ million worldwide and is still selling well almost a year after it was first released, as someone already mentioned especially if you have a custom ROM on your phone the possibilities are endless, my SGSII has never failed me once and it's amongst the best purchases ive ever made.

I second all of that! Love my SGS2

PogMoThoin

BostonB wrote: »

I have an experia droid and a iPod touch. While theres things I like better on the Android 2.3.4 mainly the lack of restrictions, and the FM radio. I do think IOS works a little bit slicker, as do the apps. Much more of the android apps are a little bit clunkier. Things like predictive text I find better on the IOS. But whats better for me, might not be the best phone for someone else. So each to their own.

On Android you have the option to install any keyboard from the market with better predictive text. There are many, Swiftkey, Slideit, Swype. You can't do this on an Apple device without jailbreaking and losing your warranty.